For decades, the communication and information network architecture model 100 for communication and information service delivery has been focused on a design approach that emphasized the utilization of the best transmission media for a particular network service type implementation such as voice, data, or broadcast video. The most noted of these is the Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN) 112, as shown in FIG. 1, which primarily utilizes copper wires for the final segment of the network design, commonly referred to as the local loop. In the early stages of the local loop design, one of the primary goals was to optimize this final segment of the network design for the delivery of voice with the best Quality of Service (QoS) for the voice service connection. For many years, this PSTN network design concentrated mainly on voice services and features where the pricing algorithms were based on emphasizing the QoS for the delivery of voice services and the number of features that could be delivered to the customers as a part of the voice service offering.
This voice communication service delivery and pricing model continued for many years until customers began to demand data and information services. The initial attempt for the delivery of data and other informational based services was to share the same PSTN network to modulate data over the same copper wires. This configuration met an initial need of allowing the end user to receive voice and/or low speed data over the same pair of copper wires, but failed short in the area of QoS for data which was measured as a function of the speed of the data transmission. In contrast, the QoS for voice services, described above, was measured as a function of the clarity of the voice transmission and data was measured as the speed of transmission. This differentiation in voice and data QoS service delivery lead to different pricing algorithms and the bifurcation of voice networks and informational based data networks. Over time, this bifurcation of voice and informational based data networks lead to the development of a new type of data network, known as the Internet 117, as shown in FIG. 1. While the Internet 117 addressed the delivery of informational based data services networking, the issue of the QoS for speed of the data transmission still remained. Consequently, the data services pricing model for the Internet was established based on the Internet's speed of transmission access.
With the progression of technology and data network designs, voice and data networks have continued to evolve over time as independent networks as shown in FIG. 1. Recently, the emergence of the demand for clarity of video motion pictures has resulted in the development of yet another wired network design, commonly referred to as the broadcast cable network 107. The pricing algorithm for the broadcast cable network primarily focuses on the clarity of video transmission and the amount and type of video content delivered.
Over the years, many attempts have been made to bundle the services provided by the three different networks (PSTN 112, the Internet 117, and broadcast cable networks 107) from a pricing perspective, but challenges remain as to how to integrate these networks from a QoS perspective. This network integration issue from a QoS perspective becomes even more complex with the emergence of mobility networks, such as cellular and Wi-Fi based wireless network, where the QoS is defined as a function of the degree of mobility as well as the clarity of voice and video, including the speed of data transmission. Among the mobility networks, cellular 102, as shown in FIG. 1, has emerged as the most prevalent, where the pricing algorithm is a function of voice quality, voice feature, data speed, data feature, video quality, video feature, and the degree of mobility.
Another limitation, which developed due to the differences in the network designs, is that multiple network identifications must be established to identify the same end-user as a different user within each of these different network types from the perspective of the end user with respect to, for example, a PSTN dial number, a cellular phone dial number, a cable customer billing number, an Internet customer billing number, and the like. These different approaches to identifying the same customer has supported and sustained the different pricing models for the various types of services provided to the same customer by these different network types. This bifurcation of the QoS for the various network types of services and the multiple network identifications has resulted in certain restrictions from the perspective of the end user as well as how the end user views or uses these services in a converged network solution such as a common method of monitoring network resource utilization for voice services, video services, data services and/or mobility services or a common method of monitoring network resource utilization for the combination of these services for a particular user on the network, as well as a simple way to bundle these services from a pricing perspective.
By way of example, FIG. 1 illustrates an existing communication and information network architecture model and algorithms for service delivery and pricing. In general, FIG. 1 provides an example of the existing bifurcated QOS and service type identification schemes for a cellular network 102, a cable broadcast network 107, a PSTN 112, and the Internet 117. For example, to establish a voice or data communication connection between two cellular phone device users, a cellular phone 101 can be used to initiate a cellular call within a cellular network 102 to another cellular phone 104. However, initially to access cellular network 102, the user must subscribe to cellular network 102 where the user is assigned a distinct cellular phone number that is stored within cellular network subscriber database 103 which uniquely identifies and distinguishes a particular user from all other users within cellular network 102.
If the user of cellular phone 101 wishes to call a PSTN phone 111 and 115 on the PSTN network 112 (also known as, Voice Services Network), the same assigned cellular phone number is used. To conduct the call, cellular network 102 must establish a connection to PSTN network 112 and request a look-up of the PSTN subscriber's phone number in the PSTN network subscriber database 114 to determine how to connect cellular phone 101 to PSTN phone 111 or 115. A look up request must be performed even if the cellular subscriber and the PSTN subscriber are the same subscriber, because the subscriber is identified in both the cellular network scriber database 103 and the PSTN network subscriber database 114 as two different subscribers.
In addition, the connection must also be routed through a common wireline access network 106 or 113 (also known as, a local cable, the Internet, or a PSTN service network). This common wireline access network 106 or 113 can be a single network in the case of common cable access for access to PSTN phone 111 or 115, television 105 or 110, or personal computer 116 or 118. In some instances, the connection is routed through multiple common wireline access networks. Regardless if routed through a single or multiple networks, this common wireline access network 106 or 113 adds increased complexity to the connections between the individual networks for completing calls or connections. On the other hand, the connection between two end devices for voice calling, Internet access, and access to broadcast television is managed by the primary networks such as the Cellular Network, 102, the Cable Broadcast Network, 107, the PSTN Network, 112, and the Internet 117, not the local common wireline access network 106 or 113.
In the above example of the cellular phone call to a PSTN phone, this process leads to two major differences from the consumer's perspective. The first difference is that the QoS requirement for the cellular network segment of a single call is different than the QoS for the PSTN network segment of the call. The second difference is that the pricing algorithms for this single call are different within both the cellular network and the PSTN network. Given that, at a minimum, two different networks are required to complete a single call or connection. The network interfacing and exchange of subscriber information required between the two networks to establish the single call or connection between the two phones increases the overall cost, even if the subscriber is the same subscriber for both phones and devices. Sometimes, more than two networks are required to complete the same call because of the common wireline access network, which further increases the overall cost of the call, because of the complexity of the interfaces and the interaction between these networks that are required to complete a call.
Another example is when a subscriber of cable broadcast network 107 wishes to view television content from television 105 or 110, the subscriber must be recognized within the cable broadcast network subscriber database 108. The subscriber must also be an authorized subscriber of the cable broadcast network video content 109 to receive and view cable content on television 105 or 110. However, if the same subscriber wishes to watch television on cellular phone 101 or 104 or watch television on personal computer 116 or 118, the network limitations between the cellular network 102, and/or the Internet 117 (also known as, Data or Informational Services Network without QoS) and the cable broadcast network 107 will not permit this connection to take place without special custom engineering by the customer on the cellular phone and placing special communication equipment at the customer's home that connects to the cable network and then also connects to the Internet at the customer's home by the customer, which still may not be supported by the cable broadcast network. Furthermore, the fact that the same subscriber is identified differently in the cellular network database 103, the cable broadcast database 108, and the Internet Database 119 also prevents these network connections from working seamlessly for the customer.
Each of these networks tracks the usage and access of the same subscriber in a different manner and, as a result, restricts access to certain new services that cross the boundary of these networks such as a cable service delivery over the Cellular Network or cable service delivery over the Internet Data Network from a QoS perspective. The access and QoS restriction of each network makes it impossible to establish and manage a common QoS for a single subscriber in a consistent manner. This approach to service access also limits the network service providers from charging for certain services based upon different QoS schemes, because the network service cannot control the QoS for services that cross network boundaries between cellular networks 103, cable broadcast network 107, PSTN networks 112, and the Internet 117.
It may be desirable to offer services in a converged network manner within a converged Smart Multi-Services (SMS) communication network that employs a single identification scheme to uniquely identify a collection of services such as voice, video, multimedia, data, and wireless that are assigned to a single user. It may also be desirable to employ a service identity concept such as Global Service Identities (GSIs), which can uniquely identify each user within a converged SMS communication network on a local or global basis and as such enable the end-user to benefit from utilizing all of their services in ways that best match the needs of each individual user.
Due to the complexity of the legacy network designs and their use of multiple networks with their equally complex pricing algorithms and competing QoS service delivery requirements, it may be desirable to reconsider these legacy network designs and employ a converged SMS communication network such as a hybrid fiber-wireless network to address the competing QoS requirements of these legacy networks with a standard approach to identify each user for all communication, services transaction types. It may also be desirable to provide a pricing paradigm that is based on the Quality of Experience (QoE) that a end user receives while on the network “QoE Service Level”, which can be defined as a function of all the network resource that are utilized by the end user during a communication and/or information session that is delivered by a converged SMS communication network.